Material handling apparatus



Aug. 10, 1943. E. A. DROTT ET AL MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 30, 1940 INVENTOR5 W 1% Km ATTORNEY 1943- E.A. DROTT ETAL 2,326,338

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed D80. 30, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORS 91am: a. 3m" W ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1943. E, A, DROTT ET AL vMATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS 4 Shets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 30. 1940 73INVENTORS FIG. 9.

a; QFHMA ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1943. E DROTT T AL 2,326,338

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS a 63 g QJK w 44 a H /m/ e4 I I 45 INVENTORS5 a. Dam FIG. I4. 42 A W W 1:; 2: fl": BY

. l ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 16, 1943 i LING APPARATUS Edward A. Drott andJoseph H. Kerber, Milwaukee, Wia, assignors to Hi-Way Service $01"-poration, Milwaukee, Wis... a corporation of Wisconsin ApplicationDecember 30,1940, Serial No. 372,322

(on. s r-11a) 7 Claims.

The invention relates to material handling apparatus.

The general object of the invention is to pro-- vide a heavy dutymaterial handling apparatus having a wide. variety of uses in theexcavating and moving of earth or other bulky material and in thecarrying and handling of logs, stones, and other objects and materials.According to the present invention, we have combined with a structurewhich acts as a plow, preferably, though not necessarily, of the typeused as a bulldozer, back filler, or snow plow, a movable gripper memberwhich preferably has the form of an open ended scoop cooperating withthe plow to form a bucket which through the vertical movement of thepusher is raised to transport its load and which may discharge its loadin either a raised or lowered position.

The present apparatus may be used for the excavating of earth, snow, andother material by placing the bulldozer or snow-plowing blade in adigging position and moving the scoop member to a partially openposition whereby on the forward movement of the apparatus the earthpicked up by the blade will be turned into the scoop member untilfinally the bucket structure formed by the blade and scoop member willbecome full of earth, and then the scoop member may be moved to a closedposition and the whole structure raised to transport the load to a placeof deposit. When using the device for picking up refuse, the device maybe moved to a position where it may be lowered onto a portion of therefuse with the scoop member in an open position and then by moving thedevice through part of the refuse and closing the scoop member thecharge acquired by the apparatus during these operations can be moved tothe desired location. In using this device for the handling of largestoneswith the scoop in araised position, the apparatus is moved tobring the bulldozer portion adjacent the one side of the stone to beremoved, and then the movable scoop member or gripper member is moved toa position to engage the opposite side of the stone whereupon the wholestructure may be moved to an elevated position to transport the stone toa place of deposit. In using this device for the handling of timbereither in lumber yards or in the woods during cutting and lumberingoperations the device may be moved to a position to engage one side ofthe piece of timber or log while the gripper member is in an elevatedposition, and then the gripper member may be lowered to engage the otherside of the timber or log and then the whole plow structure raised so asto carry or move the timber or log to the desired location.

In connection with the gripping and carrying of various types ofmaterial by the structure embodying the invention, it is to be notedthat the carrying arms for the plow structure are capable of independentraising or lowering movement, so that articles such as a piece oftimber, while in a raised position, may be tilted vertically so as tobring one end or the other into a raised position which in someinstances aids in loading the timber or logs onto a pile.

In addition to the above uses, the device may also be used for tampingdown earth when the scoop member is in a lowered or closed position andis raised and lowered with the bulldozer so as to bring its lower faceinto contact with the earth and act to tamp the same. I

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of an apparatus Fig. 5 is a detailedsectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional View of the ends of one of the raisingarms;

Fig. 7 is a generally diagrammatic view showing the apparatus in theposition in which it acts as a remover of earth or other bulky material;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the apparatus in loadcarrying position;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the apparatus in the positionfor receiving a piece of timber or other bulky object;

Fig. 10 is a detailed side elevation view showing certain modificationsin the scoop member operating mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 10, parts beingbroken away;

Fig. 12 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line |2--l2 of Fig.10;

Fig. 13 is a'detailed sectional view taken on the line l3l3 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic front end view showing the verticaltiltability of the structure embodying the invention.

driver of the tractor from his seat 20, these controls not beingspecifically shown. The tread frames 8 include frame members to whichpivotforming brackets 2| are secured, said brackets having ball shapedpivot ends 22 upon which the side frame members 23 of the plowsupporting frame are pivotally mounted. This supporting frame furtherincludes angular frame members 24 which may be adjustable lengthwiserelative to the members 23, said members 23 and 24 adapted to beconnected at their outer ends to a pusher blade or other implementmember 25 by pin joints consisting of elongated or oval slots 26 in theframe members adapted to receive a coupling pin 21 which pin also passesthrough spaced ears 28 provided on a transversely extending frame part25'. The slots 26 allow the pins 21 sufiicient play so as to permit theraising or lowering of one end of the implement member 25 relative tothe other. The frame members 23 and 24 are detachably secured to eachother through removable pin connections 29. The slots for these pins mayalso be loose in a transverse direction to accommodate the individualtilting of the frame members. Angular brackets 30 generally similar tothose shown and described in the prior issued Patent No. 2,190,452,dated February 13, 1940, are rigidly secured to the truck frame.

and U-shaped lever members 3| straddle the front ends of the truckframes l8 and are pivotally connected to each set of brackets by pivotbolts 32. The 'side frame members 23 preferably carry plates 33 whichcooperate with similar 1 plates 34 on the brackets 38 to keep the sidesof the supporting frame in proper alignment. Each member 3| isoperatively connected by a link 35 with a part of the side frame,particularly the front end of the part 24. Each of the supporting framesare independently operable through a hydraulically operated meansincluding a hydraulically operated cylinder 36 pivotally connected atits rear end upon a pivot 31 secured to the frame of the tractor andhaving a piston working in said cylinder with its rod 38 operativelyconnected to the lever 3| by a pivot pin 39. It will be noted that thelever 3| is composed of several pieces welded or otherwise suitablysecured together to form a triangular frame fulcrumed at 32 andoperatively connected at its ends to the rod and at its rear end to thepower means here shown as the hydraulically operated cylinder 36. Eachof the cylinders 36 is adapted to be supplied through pipe connections40 with fluid from a suitable source of pressure supply and under theaction of a suitable control valve 4| located in a position foroperation by th operator from his seat 20 in the vehicle.

With the above construction, movement of the rod 38 toward the leftswings the lever 3| upwardly, and this through the link 35 acts to swingthe arm formed by one set of frame members 23, 24 upwardly and thus liftthat end of the pusher blade to which said frame members are connected.The arm for the other end of the pusher blade is similarly moved by asimilar hydraulically operated rod 38' on the other side of the vehicle.Thus since each of the ends of the pusher blade or implement member 25is independently adjustable, the vertical angularlty of this member maybe adjusted to suit the rethat introduction of hydraulic fluid underpressure through one of the pipes 48 to the rear end of the cylinderacts to push the rod 38 forwardly and acts through the lever 3| and link35 to put a positive downward pressure on the arm 23 and consequentlythe blade 25.

Upon the plow or bulldozer structure thus far described we mount agripper member 42 which in the embodiment shown is in the form of anopen ended scoop member having a curved bottom 43 coextensive in lengthwith the length of the blade 25 and side plate portions 44 forming jawsadapted to cooperate with jaws removably secured to the plow structureand formed by side plates 45 bolted to angles 46 which are removablysecured by bolts 41 to the face of the moldboard portion 48 of thepusher implement. The jaw forming plates 44 and 45 are also preferablyprovided with gripping teeth 49 to enable them to get a good grip onlogs, timbers, and the like. The scoop and gripper member is pivotallyconnected at each of the upper ends of the side plate portions 44 by apin 50 carried in a frame bracket 5| secured to or formed integral withthe moldboard 48.

Power operated means are provided for moving the gripper or scoop memberinto its various operating positions. In Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, thismeans comprises a double acting hydraulic actuator including a cylinder52- pivotally connected at its lower end by a pin 53 to ears formed onthe moldboard 48 and having the rod 54 of its actuating piston pivotallyconnected by a pin 55 to the intermediate part of a lever 56 which isfulcrumed on a pin 51 carried by a bracket 58 secured to the back of themoldboard 48 and operatively connected at its outer end by a link 59 andpins 60 and 6| to the side portions 44 of the scoop member. Oppositeends of the cylinder 52 are supplied with hydraulic fluid throughflexiblehose connections (not shown) connected with the same pump asthat for the cylinders 36 and controlled by suitable valve mechanismunder the control of the operator through the lever 6|. With thisconstruction the reciprocation of the rod 54 under the action ofhydraulic fluid will act to oscillate the lever 56 and consequentlyswing the gripper and scoop 42 to an open or closed position as desired,or through control.

its various operating positions comprises a double acting hydraulicactuator at each side thereof and including a cylinder 62 which in thisinstance is adjustably mounted on a bracket means in the form of a link63 pivotally connected at its upper end by a pin 64 to the moldboard 48and its lower end by a pin 65 which for one side is mounted for acertain amount of movement in a longitudinally slotted bracket 66secured to or forming pant of the side arm 23. A bracket 61 issli-dably'mounted on the link 63 and secured in any desired adjustedposition thereon by set A and the member 82.

asaasss screws 68 and carries the supporting pivot pin 89 for the rearend of the cylinder 62. The rod for the actuating piston thatworks inthe cylinder 62 is pivotally connected at its outer end by a pin H to abracket arm 12 secured to the zizde portion 66 of the scoop or grippermember With this last described construction the reciprocation of therod 10 under the action of hydraulic fluid will act directly on themember 42 to swing it to any desired angular position and through thecontrol of the pressure fluid in both sides of the hydraulicallyoperated piston, the rod 70 and member 42 may be held in any desiredfixed position. This form of gripper and Scoop moving means is preferredas it allows the hydraulic fluid to act on the front face of theactuating piston while moving the rod lid to a position in which thescoop member 62 is closed, thereby securing the full force of thehydraulic fluid so as to get a powerful gripping action between the jawsof the gripper member. It eliminates the necessity for the lever 56 ofthe first described form and permits the stroke of the rod 10 throughthe adjustment of the bracket 6'! along the link 53 to be varied to suitdifferent working requirements. The slotted bracket 6% compensates orprovides for relative movement between the support 63 for the cylinder62 and the tiltable frame or arm 23 with which it is connected so as toallow independent tilting movement of each arm 23,v so that the scoopmember d2 may be tilted vertically as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14.

The bulldozer structure is also preferably provided adjacent its endswith shoes or runners '73 carried by the forward end portion of eachframe member 23 and acting to limit the maximum depth to which thepusher blade 25 can be lowered. Since the controls for the cylinders 52or 62 are separate from the cylinders 36, the gripper or scoop member 32may be opened or closed in any position of the lifting frame or arms 23.

For using this apparatus as an excavator of earth, sand, gravel, and thelike the bulldozeror pusher member 25 is lowered to a digging positionas shown in Fig. 7, and the scoop member d2 is moved to a partiallyclosed position either as shown in Fig. 7 or in some instances to a morefully closed position, so that a slot extending lengthwise of the member25 is left between it With the parts thus positioned the forwardmovement of the propelling vehicle causes the member 25 to slice off alayer of the material being operated upon, and this between saidscoop-and plow with the material to be moved, or instead of plowing intothe refuse material, the plow with the scoop in an open position may beraised above the material to be removed, and then as the plow and scoopare lowered through the material, the scoop member may be swung toclosed position, to enclose the load after which it may be discharged aspreviously described.

When using the apparatus for removing large stones or other bulkyobjects, the vehicle is moved so as to bring the plow element 25 againstone face of the object with the scoop member in a raised position, andthen the scoop is swung down to a position in which the stone or otherbulky object is tightlygripped between or in the parts 25 and 62, andthen the arms 23 may be raised and the vehicle then moved to bring thestone or other bulky object to a place of deposit. Under such conditionsit will be noted that the func tion of the member 42 is largely that ofa gripper member.

When using the apparatus for handling logs and timbers, the vehicle isdriven to .a position to bring the plow member 25 lengthwise of the logor timber while the gripper 42 is raised, and then the gripper member 42is swung downwardly until the object being operated upon is tightlygripped between the teeth 59 of the jaws formed by the parts 55 and 44of the members 25 and d2, respectively, as shown in Fig. 9, and then themembers 25 and 52 in gripping or load carrying position may be raised bythe upward swinging movement of the arms 23, so that the timber or logmay be raised and carried by the vehicle to a place of deposit.

In connection with the handling of the various types of material asabove described, it is also to be noted that since the arms-23 areadapted to be independently raised and lowered, the plow member 25 andits cooperative member 62 may be shifted to positions of variousvertical inclinalayer moves up along the curved face of the moldboard 48and is thereby turned over and cascades or rolls into the scoop member512, thus gradually filling up the space between the members 25 and 32.When this space is filled, the scoop member $2 is moved to a fullyclosed position. and the bucketful of excavated material may then betransported to any desired place of dis charge by swinging the arms 23upwardly while keeping the scoop member d2 closed until the parts assumethe position shown in Fig. 8. When the place of deposit is reached, theload may be discharged by moving the scoop member 42 to the openposition shown in dotted lines. This same general method of proceduremay be used in removing refuse bulk material from above the surface ofthe material by plowing into a body of such material with'the scoop inopen position and then closing the scoop while filling the space tions,as shown in Fig. 14. This feature is of especial advantage where thedevice is used on logs or timbers, and it is desirable to raise one endof the log or timber higher than the other for stacking purposes or toclear obstructions.

It is also to be noted that the back end of the frame of the tractor i5is suitably counterweighted so as to counteract the weight of theprojecting parts including the members 25 and Q2 and that the front edgeof the bottom id is reinforced by a blade member dd whose front edgeforms a lengthwise extending cutting edge.

- The, front edge of the plow blade 25 is also a cutting edge. It isfurther noted that while the apparatus is shown as mounted on atrack-laying tractor, it may also be fitted to other vehicles such asmotor trucks, trailers, etc., and that the device may be mounted foroperation at the rear instead of the front of its carrier vehicle.

For using the device as a tamper, the bottom M of the scoop member willon being raised and then loweredagainst the material act to tamp thesame, this tamping action being assisted by either a load in the bucket52 or the downward pressure produced by the pressure fluid in thecylinder 35 acting on the front face of the ram or piston having the rod38 connected to the lever 3 l.

We desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limitedto any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as suchlimitations are included in the appended claims.

. What we claim as our invention is:

1. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair of pusher arms swinginglymounted on said ye hicle and a pusher having a curved moldboard portionextending between said pusher arms and carried thereby, and a scoopmember pivotally connected to the upper portion 'of said moldboard andprovided with a bottom portion projecting in front of said moldboardduring digging. 2. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair ofindependently swingable pusher arms mounted on said vehicle and a pusherhaving a moldboard portion xtending between said pusher arms and carriedthereby, a scoop member pivotally connected to the upper portion of saidmoldboard and provided with a bottom portion projecting 'in front ofsaid moldboard during digging, and

hydraulically operated means carried by said arms and for moving andholding said scoop member in open or closed position relative to saidpusher.

3. In a. material handling apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, ofa pusherstructure vertically adjustably mounted on said vehicle andhaving a blade extending transversely thereof, a gripper memberpivotally mounted on said pusher structure and extending transversely ofthe vehicle, said blade and gripper member having cooperative jawportions at th end portions of said pusher.

4. In a material handling apparatus, the combination of a pair ofswinging arms adapted for connection to a vehicle, a blade secured tosaid arms, means for independently raising and lowering said arms toadjust the angle of said blade in a vertical plane, a scoop memberpivotally mounted on the upper portion of said blade, hydraulicallyoperated means for operating said scoop including a cylinder and apiston operating in said cylinder and connected to said scoop, and asupport for said cylinder having a lost motion connection with one ofsaid arms.

nected to one of said arms and to which said cy1-' inder is lengthwiseadjustably connected.

6. In a material handling apparatus, the com-' bination with a vehicle,of a bulldozer member adapted to work at one end of the vehicle bymovement into the material to be excavated, arms pivotally connected tothe vehicle and carrying said member in front of this end of thevehicle, means for independently raising and lowering said member toadjust the angle of said member in a vertical plane to regulate thedepth of cut of said bulldozer member, and a scoop member movablymounted on said member and adapted to receive material plowed up by saidbulldozer member and adjustable therewith in a vertical plane to amaterial carrying position.-

7. In a material handling apparatus for vehicles, the combination with abulldozer including a blade support and a blade adapted to project infront of one end of its supporting vehicle with its cutting edgeprojecting wholly in front of, said support, said support being movablymounted on the vehicle, of a movable scoop member pivotally mounted onthe bulldozer and projecting in front of said blade and adapted to befilled with material by the deflecting action of said blade, and meansfor raising and lowering said support to bodily raise said blade andsaid scoop member.

EDWARD A. DROTT. JOSEPH H. KERBER.

